SHANGHAI – October 27, 2026 -- The Shanghai Technology Business Incubation Association (STBIA) and the World Laureates Foundation (WLF) signed a strategic cooperation agreement at the opening of the World Top-performing Incubator Conference 2026, held on October 26 at the Lingang Center.
Conference joins World Laureates Forum for the first time
The three-day conference runs from October 26 to 28 under the theme "AI-Driven Innovation Incubates the Future." For the first time, it is held in the same week as the World Laureates Forum. The two events are building a mechanism that links scientific discovery, technology transformation and industrial incubation.
A deep-tech transformation forum, staged together with the World Laureates Forum, follows on October 31.
Organizers target the gap between lab research and industrial application
The programme aims to couple the original innovation capacity of top-tier scientists with the transformation capacity of leading incubators. Organizers describe the goal as moving research from the "first kilometer" to the "last kilometer" and connecting the chain from basic research to industrial application.
Shanghai releases 2026 incubator ecosystem white paper
The "2026 Shanghai Incubator Ecosystem White Paper" is released at the forum. It reviews the current state and future trends of incubator development in Shanghai.
Three-year event record reaches 21 million views across 50-plus markets
Since its launch three years ago, the conference has recorded cumulative exposure of more than 21 million views and covered more than 50 countries and regions. It has drawn over 200 speakers, including more than 70 international guests.
Organizers say the event is shifting from a discussion platform to a "symbiotic network" and from a one-off gathering to a regular mechanism. They name the "WLF + WTIC" pairing as its core driver. They link the effort to Shanghai's goal of building a globally influential science and technology innovation center and to the Lingang Special Area's plan to create an offshore innovation base with global resource allocation capabilities.